Once upon a time the Sultan considered a certain nobleman of his country his enemy. When the nobleman learnt that the Sultan was trying to catch him, he escaped from his house. But the Sultan did not forget him. He set his spies to trace him. They spread into every town and village. At last the Sultan's enemy was trapped and captured. He was brought before the Sultan. The Sultan called his jailer and said, "Keep him as securely as possible. He is a cunning man who has evaded arrest for long. Now that he has been caught, he should not be able to escape. Should he escape, you'd be hanged in his place." The Sultan knew that his jailer was an able officer. No-body had ever escaped from his custody. The jaler knew that the prison house was so carefully built and so well-guarded that nobody could escape from it. Even then he took no chances. He put the prisoner in fetters. Then, inside the room itself he erected a cage around him. The fetters round the prisoner's feet were tight. The cage was locked. The room containing the cage was locked too. The entrance into the house in which the room was situated was locked and the gate of the compound wall was doubly locked.
But when the jailer came to inspect the prize catch in the morning, he saw the prisoner gone leaving the fetters lying on the floor. No lock had been broken. "I'm going to be hanged. Very well, let me prepare for that," he told himself. He went home and bathed and asked his wife to cook the best dishes for him. After he had eaten, he dressed himself in his best and sprinkled sweet scent on his raiment. Then he disclosed to his family that he was going to die. Leaving them weeping, he went over to the court and saluted to the Sultan and said, "My Lord, the prisoner has escaped."
"Has he?" thundered the Sultan, "Then you must die!"
"Yes, my Lord said the jailer. "I'm ready."
The Sultan then questioned him to find out how the prisoner escaped. There seemed to be absolutely no defect in the arrangement. "Did you hear him saying anything to anybody?" asked the Sultan.
"Yes, my Lord. Every time our workman's hammer came down on the nail while fitting the cage he called out to God saying that He alone could save him," reported the jailer.
The Sultan kept silent for a moment. Then he told the jailer gravely, "You fool, how then do you take the responsibility for his escape upon yourself and come ready to die? Do you think that you could have detained a man who had sought God's intervention in his escape? How could you ever become a match for God?"
So saying, the Sultan waved the jailer to go away without bothering to die and sat down for praying himself.
Friday, December 24, 2010
Hansel and Gretel
Once upon a time a very poor woodcutter lived in a tiny cottage in the forest with his two children, Hansel and Gretel. His second wife often ill-treated the children and was forever nagging the woodcutter.
"There is not enough food in the house for us all. There are too many mouths to feed! We must get rid of the two brats," she declared. And she kept on trying to persuade her husband to abandon his children in the forest.
"Take them miles from home, so far that they can never find their way back! Maybe someone will find them and give them a home." The downcast woodcutter didn't know what to do. Hansel who, one evening, had overheard his parents' conversation, comforted Gretel.
"Don't worry! If they do leave us in the forest, we'll find the way home," he said. And slipping out of the house he filled his pockets with little white pebbles, then went back to bed.
All night long, the woodcutter's wife harped on and on at her husband till, at dawn, he led Hansel and Gretel away into the forest. But as they went into the depths of the trees, Hansel dropped a little white pebble here and there on the mossy green ground. At a certain point, the two children found they really were alone: the woodcutter had plucked up enough courage to desert them, had mumbled an excuse and was gone. Night fell but the woodcutter did not return. Gretel began to sob bitterly. Hansel too felt scared but he tried to hide his feelings and comfort his sister.
"Don't cry, trust me! I swear I'll take you home even if Father doesn't come back for us!" Luckily the moon was full that night and Hansel waited till its cold light filtered through the trees. "Now give me your hand!" he said. "We'll get home safely, you'll see!" The tiny white pebbles gleamed in the moonlight, and the children found their way home. They crept through a half open window, without wakening their parents. Cold, tired but thankful to be home again, they slipped into bed.
Next day, when their stepmother discovered that Hansel and Gretel had returned, she went into a rage. Stifling her anger in front of the children, she locked her bedroom door, reproaching her husband for failing to carry out her orders. The weak woodcutter protested, torn as he was between shame and fear of disobeying his cruel wife. The wicked stepmother kept Hansel and Gretel under lock and key all day with nothing for supper but a sip of water and some hard bread. All night, husband and wife quarreled, and when dawn came, the woodcutter led the children out into the forest.
Hansel, however, had not eaten his bread, and as he walked through the trees, he left a trail of crumbs behind him to mark the way. But the little boy had forgotten about the hungry birds that lived in the forest. When they saw him, they flew along behind and in no time at all, had eaten all the crumbs. Again, with a lame excuse, the woodcutter left his two children by
themselves.
"I've left a trail, like last time!" Hansel whispered to Gretel, consolingly. But when night fell, they saw to their horror, that all the crumbs had gone. "I'm frightened!" wept Gretel bitterly. "I'm cold and hungry and I want to go home!"
"Don't be afraid. I'm here to look after you!" Hansel tried to encourage his sister, but he too shivered when he glimpsed frightening shadows and evil eyes around them in the darkness. All night the two children huddled together for warmth at the foot of a large tree.
When dawn broke, they started to wander about the forest, seeking a path, but all hope soon faded. They were well and truly lost. On they walked and walked, till suddenly they came upon a strange cottage in the middle of a glade.
"This is chocolate!" gasped Hansel as he broke a lump of plaster from the wall. "And this is icing!" exclaimed Gretel, putting another piece of wall in her mouth. Starving but delighted, the children began to eat pieces of candy broken off the cottage. "Isn't this delicious?" said Gretel, with her mouth full. She had never tasted anything so nice.
"We'll stay here," Hansel declared, munching a bit of nougat. They were just about to try a piece of the biscuit door when it quietly swung open. "Well, well!" said an old woman, peering out with a crafty look. "And haven't you children a sweet tooth?"
"Come in! Come in, you've nothing to fear!" went on the old woman. Unluckily for Hansel and Gretel, however, the sugar candy cottage belonged to an old witch, her trap for catching unwary victims. The two children had come to a really nasty place.
"You're nothing but skin and bones!" said the witch, locking Hansel into a cage. I shall fatten you up and eat you! You can do the housework," she told Gretel grimly, "then I'll make a meal of you too!" As luck would have it, the witch had very bad eyesight, an when Gretel smeared butter on her glasses, she could see even less.
"Let me feel your finger!" said the witch to Hansel every day to check if he was getting any fatter. Now, Gretel had brought her brother a chicken bone, and when the witch went to touch his finger, Hansel held out the bone.
"You're still much too thin!" she complained. When will you become plump?" One day the witch grew tired of waiting.
"Light the oven," she told Gretel. "We're going to have a tasty roasted boy today!" A little later, hungry and impatient, she went on: "Run and see if the oven is hot enough." Gretel returned, whimpering: "I can't tell if it is hot enough or not." Angrily, the witch screamed at the little girl: "Useless child! All right, I'll see for myself." But when the witch bent down to peer inside the oven and check the heat, Gretel gave her a tremendous push and slammed the oven door shut. The witch had come to a fit and proper end. Gretel ran to set her brother free and they made quite sure that the oven door was tightly shut behind the witch. Indeed, just to be on the safe side, they fastened it firmly with a large padlock. Then they stayed for several days to
eat some more of the house, till they discovered amongst the witch's belongings, a huge chocolate egg. Inside lay a casket of gold coins.
"The witch is now burnt to a cinder," said Hansel, "so we'll take this treasure with us." They filled a large basket with food and set off into the forest to search for the way home. This time, luck was with them, and on the second day, they saw their father come out of the house towards them, weeping.
"Your stepmother is dead. Come home with me now, my dear children!" The two children hugged the woodcutter.
"Promise you'll never ever desert us again," said Gretel, throwing her arms round her father's neck. Hansel opened the casket.
"Look, Father! We're rich now . . . You'll never have to chop wood again."
And they all lived happily together ever after.
"There is not enough food in the house for us all. There are too many mouths to feed! We must get rid of the two brats," she declared. And she kept on trying to persuade her husband to abandon his children in the forest.
"Take them miles from home, so far that they can never find their way back! Maybe someone will find them and give them a home." The downcast woodcutter didn't know what to do. Hansel who, one evening, had overheard his parents' conversation, comforted Gretel.
"Don't worry! If they do leave us in the forest, we'll find the way home," he said. And slipping out of the house he filled his pockets with little white pebbles, then went back to bed.
All night long, the woodcutter's wife harped on and on at her husband till, at dawn, he led Hansel and Gretel away into the forest. But as they went into the depths of the trees, Hansel dropped a little white pebble here and there on the mossy green ground. At a certain point, the two children found they really were alone: the woodcutter had plucked up enough courage to desert them, had mumbled an excuse and was gone. Night fell but the woodcutter did not return. Gretel began to sob bitterly. Hansel too felt scared but he tried to hide his feelings and comfort his sister.
"Don't cry, trust me! I swear I'll take you home even if Father doesn't come back for us!" Luckily the moon was full that night and Hansel waited till its cold light filtered through the trees. "Now give me your hand!" he said. "We'll get home safely, you'll see!" The tiny white pebbles gleamed in the moonlight, and the children found their way home. They crept through a half open window, without wakening their parents. Cold, tired but thankful to be home again, they slipped into bed.
Next day, when their stepmother discovered that Hansel and Gretel had returned, she went into a rage. Stifling her anger in front of the children, she locked her bedroom door, reproaching her husband for failing to carry out her orders. The weak woodcutter protested, torn as he was between shame and fear of disobeying his cruel wife. The wicked stepmother kept Hansel and Gretel under lock and key all day with nothing for supper but a sip of water and some hard bread. All night, husband and wife quarreled, and when dawn came, the woodcutter led the children out into the forest.
Hansel, however, had not eaten his bread, and as he walked through the trees, he left a trail of crumbs behind him to mark the way. But the little boy had forgotten about the hungry birds that lived in the forest. When they saw him, they flew along behind and in no time at all, had eaten all the crumbs. Again, with a lame excuse, the woodcutter left his two children by
themselves.
"I've left a trail, like last time!" Hansel whispered to Gretel, consolingly. But when night fell, they saw to their horror, that all the crumbs had gone. "I'm frightened!" wept Gretel bitterly. "I'm cold and hungry and I want to go home!"
"Don't be afraid. I'm here to look after you!" Hansel tried to encourage his sister, but he too shivered when he glimpsed frightening shadows and evil eyes around them in the darkness. All night the two children huddled together for warmth at the foot of a large tree.
When dawn broke, they started to wander about the forest, seeking a path, but all hope soon faded. They were well and truly lost. On they walked and walked, till suddenly they came upon a strange cottage in the middle of a glade.
"This is chocolate!" gasped Hansel as he broke a lump of plaster from the wall. "And this is icing!" exclaimed Gretel, putting another piece of wall in her mouth. Starving but delighted, the children began to eat pieces of candy broken off the cottage. "Isn't this delicious?" said Gretel, with her mouth full. She had never tasted anything so nice.
"We'll stay here," Hansel declared, munching a bit of nougat. They were just about to try a piece of the biscuit door when it quietly swung open. "Well, well!" said an old woman, peering out with a crafty look. "And haven't you children a sweet tooth?"
"Come in! Come in, you've nothing to fear!" went on the old woman. Unluckily for Hansel and Gretel, however, the sugar candy cottage belonged to an old witch, her trap for catching unwary victims. The two children had come to a really nasty place.
"You're nothing but skin and bones!" said the witch, locking Hansel into a cage. I shall fatten you up and eat you! You can do the housework," she told Gretel grimly, "then I'll make a meal of you too!" As luck would have it, the witch had very bad eyesight, an when Gretel smeared butter on her glasses, she could see even less.
"Let me feel your finger!" said the witch to Hansel every day to check if he was getting any fatter. Now, Gretel had brought her brother a chicken bone, and when the witch went to touch his finger, Hansel held out the bone.
"You're still much too thin!" she complained. When will you become plump?" One day the witch grew tired of waiting.
"Light the oven," she told Gretel. "We're going to have a tasty roasted boy today!" A little later, hungry and impatient, she went on: "Run and see if the oven is hot enough." Gretel returned, whimpering: "I can't tell if it is hot enough or not." Angrily, the witch screamed at the little girl: "Useless child! All right, I'll see for myself." But when the witch bent down to peer inside the oven and check the heat, Gretel gave her a tremendous push and slammed the oven door shut. The witch had come to a fit and proper end. Gretel ran to set her brother free and they made quite sure that the oven door was tightly shut behind the witch. Indeed, just to be on the safe side, they fastened it firmly with a large padlock. Then they stayed for several days to
eat some more of the house, till they discovered amongst the witch's belongings, a huge chocolate egg. Inside lay a casket of gold coins.
"The witch is now burnt to a cinder," said Hansel, "so we'll take this treasure with us." They filled a large basket with food and set off into the forest to search for the way home. This time, luck was with them, and on the second day, they saw their father come out of the house towards them, weeping.
"Your stepmother is dead. Come home with me now, my dear children!" The two children hugged the woodcutter.
"Promise you'll never ever desert us again," said Gretel, throwing her arms round her father's neck. Hansel opened the casket.
"Look, Father! We're rich now . . . You'll never have to chop wood again."
And they all lived happily together ever after.
One Who Became The Richest Man
Long ago there was a merchant who led his forty camels, loaded with merchandise, to a distant place.
On his way one evening he camped on the bank of a river close by a forest. At night some bandits came there by boat and took away all his merchandise.
The merchant was in grief. He dismissed his servants; for he had no money to pay them. He sat weeping amidst his forty camels. Nearby was a forest. A hermit who lived in it saw him and summoned him to come to his hermitage. The merchant told him of his misfortune and wept before him. Said the kind hermit, "Don't feel sad. You have forty camels. I will see to it that they are loaded with gold. You will become probably the richest man in the world. But will you leave twenty camels with their load for me?"
"Revered One, the value of all the stuff my forty camels were carrying would not amount to one fourth of the load of gold that only one camel can carry. Why should I not leave twenty camels and their loads with you?" said the merchant with great joy. The hermit led the merchant and his camels to the hills deep inside the forest. He stood in front of a cave and took out a small box from his clothes. It contained some ointment. He applied a little of it to his own eyes. "Is this some magic ointment?" asked the merchant. "Yes. It reveals to me all the hidden wealth," replied the hermit. Then he said, "You be here, I'll drag gold filled bags one after another. You can keep loading them on the camels." In a few minutes the hermit drew out the first bag. Unable to check his curiosity, the merchant opened it and saw that it contained pure gold bricks. He was amazed. When all the forty camels were loaded the hermit said, "Now, lead twenty camels away to your home and let me lead the other twenty to my hermitage."
The merchant led away twenty camels, but a minute later he turned back and shouted to the hermit, "Wait, Wait!" Drawing close to the hermit, he asked, "You are a hermit, What will you do with all this gold? Why not go satisfied with ten camels?"
"You want to have ten more camels with their loads, do you? Very well, take them," said the hermit without slightest bitterness. The merchant added ten more camels to his twenty and advanced on his way. But two minutes later he turned back and shouted, "Wait, hermit sir, wait." The hermit stopped. The merchant came back running to him and said, "I am afraid, I am committing a sin by letting you have this wealth. You are a hermit. To lead a simple life dedicated to God is your chosen path. Gold might lead you astray. Should you better not let me have all the gold?"
"Why not? Take the remaining ten camels too!" said the hermit. "Thanks a lot." The happy merchant was now in command of all the forty camels loaded with gold. "Wait, wait!" he shouted again at the hermit who was moving away alone. "What now?" "Its about the magic ointment. As I see, you don't have any attraction for wealth. What will you do with that ointment? Please pass that on to me. I can make proper use of it," said the merchant. "Don't ask for it, my boy, for it will not work with you the way it works with me," said the hermit gravely. "Don't try to be fool me, hermit, sir, please hand over the ointment. I will never forget your kindness." "Why do you need it? The wealth you have got is more than what any king possesses. Your descendants can live on it for generations. I must tell you that the ointment will prove dangerous to you!"
"O Sir, don't bluff me! Please give me the thing!" The merchant spread his arms obstructing the hermit's passage. "You will regret it, my boy!" said the hermit. "Pass it on to me, sir!" The hermit threw the small container at the merchant. "Thanks," said the merchant. Without any loss of time, he applied the ointment to his eyes -- and he grew stone blind. "Hermit!" he shouted. "Take back your ointment and please do something to restore my vision!" There was no response. "Please take away ten camels - or twenty - or all of them if you please, but help me get back my vision!" the merchant screamed. "I have no power to help you!" The hermit's voice was heard from distance.
"What can I do with all the gold if I am blind?" There was no answer to his question. Days later some other merchants, passing by the forest, took pity on him and guided him to the nearest town. He used to narrate his story to others while living as a beggar. Nobody believed him, for nobody saw the camels or the gold! And the merchant could not say what happened to them.
On his way one evening he camped on the bank of a river close by a forest. At night some bandits came there by boat and took away all his merchandise.
The merchant was in grief. He dismissed his servants; for he had no money to pay them. He sat weeping amidst his forty camels. Nearby was a forest. A hermit who lived in it saw him and summoned him to come to his hermitage. The merchant told him of his misfortune and wept before him. Said the kind hermit, "Don't feel sad. You have forty camels. I will see to it that they are loaded with gold. You will become probably the richest man in the world. But will you leave twenty camels with their load for me?"
"Revered One, the value of all the stuff my forty camels were carrying would not amount to one fourth of the load of gold that only one camel can carry. Why should I not leave twenty camels and their loads with you?" said the merchant with great joy. The hermit led the merchant and his camels to the hills deep inside the forest. He stood in front of a cave and took out a small box from his clothes. It contained some ointment. He applied a little of it to his own eyes. "Is this some magic ointment?" asked the merchant. "Yes. It reveals to me all the hidden wealth," replied the hermit. Then he said, "You be here, I'll drag gold filled bags one after another. You can keep loading them on the camels." In a few minutes the hermit drew out the first bag. Unable to check his curiosity, the merchant opened it and saw that it contained pure gold bricks. He was amazed. When all the forty camels were loaded the hermit said, "Now, lead twenty camels away to your home and let me lead the other twenty to my hermitage."
The merchant led away twenty camels, but a minute later he turned back and shouted to the hermit, "Wait, Wait!" Drawing close to the hermit, he asked, "You are a hermit, What will you do with all this gold? Why not go satisfied with ten camels?"
"You want to have ten more camels with their loads, do you? Very well, take them," said the hermit without slightest bitterness. The merchant added ten more camels to his twenty and advanced on his way. But two minutes later he turned back and shouted, "Wait, hermit sir, wait." The hermit stopped. The merchant came back running to him and said, "I am afraid, I am committing a sin by letting you have this wealth. You are a hermit. To lead a simple life dedicated to God is your chosen path. Gold might lead you astray. Should you better not let me have all the gold?"
"Why not? Take the remaining ten camels too!" said the hermit. "Thanks a lot." The happy merchant was now in command of all the forty camels loaded with gold. "Wait, wait!" he shouted again at the hermit who was moving away alone. "What now?" "Its about the magic ointment. As I see, you don't have any attraction for wealth. What will you do with that ointment? Please pass that on to me. I can make proper use of it," said the merchant. "Don't ask for it, my boy, for it will not work with you the way it works with me," said the hermit gravely. "Don't try to be fool me, hermit, sir, please hand over the ointment. I will never forget your kindness." "Why do you need it? The wealth you have got is more than what any king possesses. Your descendants can live on it for generations. I must tell you that the ointment will prove dangerous to you!"
"O Sir, don't bluff me! Please give me the thing!" The merchant spread his arms obstructing the hermit's passage. "You will regret it, my boy!" said the hermit. "Pass it on to me, sir!" The hermit threw the small container at the merchant. "Thanks," said the merchant. Without any loss of time, he applied the ointment to his eyes -- and he grew stone blind. "Hermit!" he shouted. "Take back your ointment and please do something to restore my vision!" There was no response. "Please take away ten camels - or twenty - or all of them if you please, but help me get back my vision!" the merchant screamed. "I have no power to help you!" The hermit's voice was heard from distance.
"What can I do with all the gold if I am blind?" There was no answer to his question. Days later some other merchants, passing by the forest, took pity on him and guided him to the nearest town. He used to narrate his story to others while living as a beggar. Nobody believed him, for nobody saw the camels or the gold! And the merchant could not say what happened to them.
Monday, July 26, 2010
FAULTS IN OTHERS
The Creator called all the creatures he had created in order to find out what improvements they would like to have.
“Friends,” he said addressing all creatures, “I have done my best to provide all of you with everything that you are likely to require. But that does not mean that you cannot have improvements if you want to. If you find any defects in you, I am ready to rectify them. If you want certain things you haven’t got now, I am ready to provide you with them. I want you to speak out one after the other.”
The Ape was the first to stand up and clear its throat. “Dear Father,” he said “I am quite all right, thank you. I lack nothing and have everything. But it seems to me that poor Bear is very badly handicapped by thick hair all over his body and an odd way of walking.”
“What’s wrong with my hair anyway?” objected the Bear. “It’s nice and warm. But seeing the Elephant I wonder whether she would like to be something else. She seems entirely out of shape to me.”
One after another the creatures got up and said that they were all right but the others were all wrong. Creator gave a sigh of relief and sent them away. He was aware of quite a few shortcomings in his creation but he was saved the trouble of rectifying them since the creatures saw faults only in others and not in themselves.
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